The Trial of the Land
by Merin Sapphire
Summary: An epic tale of a tribe of native americans fighting for the rights to their land. It features the tradgedy of fighing for more than your own life...


Merin: One day I was bored so I decided to write this, I hope you guys like it^^ If you like nature and past customs, you'll like this story. Well, enjoy^^  
  
Disclaimer: I did create this story through my own imagination; I own all of the characters and the storyline. It is my original story.  
  
"My family has suffered more than most. I do not understand why the white men are against us. We never hurt anyone else or even trespassed on their land. Our tribe doesn't mean any harm; we simply want to keep peace..."  
  
"Father?" young Julia asked, "Why do the white men dislike us?"  
  
The chief looked solemnly down at his twelve-year-old daughter, "I don't know Gentle Flower. The white men have always been after our land..."  
  
At that moment Red Fox abruptly halted and stared down at the ground. He silently drew his bow, pulled an arrow from the fur pack on his back, and strung it gracefully onto the bow with a long practiced motion. Julia watched her father as he pulled back the string and took aim. The forest was silent. Even the birds were as still as if they were frozen fast to the trees.  
  
A few minutes passed, Gentle Flower unsurely looked at her father. Red Fox looked like a statue, frozen in time. His face was set. Not a muscle twitched. As Gentle Flower watched, her mind drifted back to the tribe. She thought about the many pelts that hung along the walls of her family's longhouse, more than any other family has out of the entire tribe, all which have been earned by her father, Red Fox.  
  
Of the many pelts, only one was missing. Any archer misfortunate enough to shoot and kill a white wolf was said to be cursed.  
  
White wolves are extremely rare. Every time the white men shot one it was like a portion of the tribe was killed. The wolves run freely along the land, like spirits of the wind. They are the illusions that glide through the forests. Fast and intelligent, they are nearly impossible to track.  
  
A few leaves rattled in the tree closest to Red Fox, followed by a low-pitched growl that rumbled through the forest. Red Fox gently tugged back on the string. Julia froze as she caught the eye of something way up in the branches. She gasped for breath as she began to feel fear enveloping her heart.  
  
Julia knew that mountain lions lived in the forest, hiding among the tree branches. They lived for stalking the weak and helpless at night. She reassured herself, "Mountain lions are nocturnal. The animal in that tree couldn't possibly be a mountain lion..." The leaves rustled once more followed by the same low-pitched growl.  
  
Time passed by; to Julia it seemed endless. Suddenly, a high- pitched shriek pierced the air and a tannish – brown mound plummeted from the tree. Red Fox slowly lowered his bow. The tan animal screeched in pain and fought with the long arrow that was embedded in its shoulder. It didn't take long for Julia to realize that the struggling creature was indeed a mountain lion, a large one at that. Snarling and hissing the mountain lion fell where it was standing. Gentle Flower and her father watched as the mountain lion fought to its death.  
  
Just as Red Fox began to advance to the corpse, a group of white men burst through the bushes. "We heard a scr- holy smokes! SAVAGES!" one of them said and with a look of dislike he whispered to his comrades, "Indians..."  
  
"Father," Julia asked, "what are they saying?"  
  
"They speak English Gentle Flower. The same language that they spoke at the colony..." Red Fox cleared his throat and turned to face the white men. "I shoot mountain lion. He struggle much." He pointed to the corpse, "He dead."  
  
"Right then..." another white man said, and the group slowly walked away.  
  
"They must be from the new English colony... So far, they stole over half our land. They mock us and our customs. These white men hunt good, they kill many white wolves...When I hunt I see many white wolf pelts stretched out to dry." Julia was silent, for she thought that only the cruelest of men could have the heart and skill to kill a white wolf...  
  
"We should start heading back to the tribe," Red Fox said as he took a very sharp rock and carefully sliced the last piece of flesh off of the corpse, "White Rose can use this fresh meat for dinner." Gentle Flower could already taste the meat melting in her mouth with some fresh corn meal. She knelt down, took several slabs of meat, and carefully wrapped them in large fern leaves. Red Fox and Gentle Flower gathered their belongings and commenced walking west through the jungle.  
  
* * * *  
  
A woman was grinding corn outside of a longhouse back at the tribe. Her black hair shone in the afternoon sun as she used a smooth rock and crushed corn into fine flour. "Mother!" Julia dashed over to the woman, "you have to see what Red Fox brought for food."  
  
Red Fox casually strolled over with the mountain lion pelt slung across his arms, "Gentle Flower and I came across a large mountain lion on our return trip from the village." He held up the pelt and meat proudly.  
  
In response the woman stood up and gently took the pelt, "Very good." and with a kiss she went inside of the longhouse.  
  
"Julia!" Gentle Flower turned to face a girl about he same age as herself, "Aurora! I'm happy to see you!"  
  
Aurora smiled, "You should see what my father killed for dinner."  
  
The two girls walked over to Aurora's longhouse where a beautiful pelt was stretched out on a large grey stone. "See Julia, there are tigers in the forest." With a smile Julia stroked the silky pelt and it shone in the sunlight.  
  
"It's beautiful Aurora. I wish that my father and I had come upon a tiger..."  
  
"Gentle Flower!" Julia's mother called, "Can you help me stew this mountain lion?"  
  
"I have to go help White Rose, I'll visit you later." Julia waved and walked toward her family's longhouse.  
  
* * * *  
  
Back at the colony, the white men were returning. "You guys ave' a good hunt?" asked a man who was running the side of a knife along a small rock.  
  
"No Charlie, didn't see a thing," a man from the group replied, "Two Indians got a mountain lion though... the same Indians that were here just awhile ago..."  
  
"Indians ain't good fer nothin'. All they do is sit roun' a fire singin." Charlie said.  
  
"Ain't good fer nothin',"another man from the group echoed, "few days ago a couple of my pelts disappeared when they were out te' dry. Thievin' savages..."  
  
"If they ever lay a finger on my pelts, I'll skin em' alive!" Charlie replied with a threatening gesture.  
  
As the men were talking, the mayor walked up to them. "You fella's got a problem?"  
  
"Yeah," Charlie replied, "Thievin' Indians stole a couple of Andy's pelts..."  
  
"Thievin', good fer nothin' savages..." Andy muttered to himself.  
  
"Those Indians are on our land, I told the chief and his daughter to move but he didn't listen. As mayor, I'm going to force them to evacuate or else... Stealin' our pelts is the final straw, they must leave!" The mayor turned and left the gang.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The smell of meat and corn meal cooking wafted throughout the Native American village. Red hot coals remained on piles of ashes near each of the longhouses. Like the life and spirit of the tribe the coals flickered on.  
  
Outside, the sky became vivid with color as a beautiful sunset filled it. As if an artist was painting it, colors gently brushed along the clouds. In a distance, large grey clouds are floating among the sunset.  
  
Aurora and Julia stood side by side on a hill not far from the rest of the tribe, awestruck by the colors.  
  
"Huh, what was that?"  
  
"What was what Aurora?"  
  
"I thought I heard a gunshot..."  
  
"Maybe...do you think the white men are still out hunting?"  
  
"I'm not sure Julia, wait, what's that?"  
  
Julia gasped. A smoke trail appeared to be coming from the white men's colony directly towards the tribe. "We have to warn Red Fox!" exclaimed Julia. She turned away from the sunset and sprinted back to the tribe, closely pursued by Aurora.  
  
"FATHER!!" Julia burst into her family's longhouse. "The...the...the fire..."  
  
"Gentle Flower, slow down, what's wrong?"  
  
"Fire is coming, follow me..."Julia dashed out of the longhouse with Red Fox and White Rose right behind her.  
  
"There...look!" Julia pointed out in the direction where the smoke was coming from. It was closer now, revealing a gang of white men holding torches. Red Fox looked away and solemnly trudged in the direction of the mob.  
  
"Julia, follow me back to the longhouse. You too Aurora..." White Rose headed back in the direction of the tribe hurriedly.  
  
* * * *  
  
A gunshot pierced through the dense cover of the night. It was as if someone had taken a knife and sliced through the quiet of the night. It left a thick, black, uncomfortable silence. This silence could only mean that trouble was brewing.  
  
Julia lay in bed, wide-awake. She turned over and stared out of the door in the longhouse, longing for Red Fox to return. The only sound audible was White Rose sobbing. That explained everything. Tears streamed down Julia's face. In a distance, a lone white wolf howled his long mournful cry, only to be cut off by gunfire... 


End file.
